Halo: Fragile Alliance
by Ponyeffect
Summary: The war between humanity and the Covenant is over, but almost a year, the fighting has not ceased. With threats from all corners of the galaxy, William Martinez and his fellow ODST's must band together with their Sangheili allies to defend their respective home worlds. But can their already weakened alliance survive, or will be torn apart through distrust, xenophobia and betrayal?
1. Prologue

**Here it is at long last, the rewrite of Halo: Fragile Alliance. Thank you to everyone for being so patient, now that my exams are out of the way I can focus on fanfiction more. Obviously I'll still have MLP fics in mind, but I hope to get chapters for this out once a week.**

**There will be a sex scene in this story at a later date- between a human and sangheili- but I will clearly mark when that is happening in the necessary chapter, and it can be avoided without losing your place in the story.**

**That's all for now folks, hope you enjoy the story. Hopefully this'll be quite the adventure for all of us ;) **

**Prologue**

**ONI headquarters, unknown location**

**April 13th 2553**

Admiral Margaret Orlenda Parangosky was a short, aged woman, but as sharp and cold as ice. She was in her early nineties, but despite her withered appearance, she was powerful and deadly. She had done many questionable and inhumane things during her long career, and while she was confident she'd done the best for humanity, her name still brought fear into the hearts of many personnel in the UNSC.

A fitting reputation for the commander-in-chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence- or ONI for short- one that matched the layout of her office. It was bland and dreary, with a beige wall and a severe lack of decorations. A few pieces of old wooden furniture sat against the walls and corners of the office, stopping it from being completely bare. One bookcase in particular held several books, written by authors with particularly radical views on the Covenant and what should have been done about them.

Parangosky sat back in her seat, as cold and unforgiving as she was, staring at the younger female across the table. The lights above them were purposely dim, hiding her own face while illuminating that of her guest. She picked up a random report, skimming through it in an uncaring fashion.

"Serin Osman, my reports tell me I was right to take you on as my protégé. You've grown substantially since your days as a washed up Spartan II", Parangosky praised, though her emotionless voice made it difficult for Serin to crack anything more than a smile. "I have a task for you, one of the utmost importance."

Osman cleared her throat nervously, nodding in understanding. "What would you have me do, ma'am?"

"Everywhere the Covenant have been, they have left their mark on humanity. Reach, Harvest, Kholo and Earth: wherever humans have been, the scars of genocidal onslaught have been left by these monsters. The war maybe over now, but as long as long these freaks continue to exist humanity will never be safe", Parangosky explained, placing the report back down upon the table. The ONI commander-in-chief folded her arms, her face twisting into a sour expression- like a child who hadn't gotten what they wanted. "And now we've been shoehorned into an alliance with the Sangheili because they decided to switch sides for a week. How typical of those short-sighted UNSC admirals. Always about the present, never once considering the future ramifications of their actions. You understand what I mean, don't you?"

"Yes ma'am, and I completely agree. Sanghelios has not been devastated by war like Earth has, it won't be long before they take advantage of that", Osman hypothesised, gaining an affirming nod from her superior. The former Spartan chewed the inside of her cheek in thought, a bemused look growing upon her features. "But what has that got to do with this task, ma'am?"

Parangosky smirked, sliding a datapad over to Osman. Looking at it, the former Spartan was surprised to see a vast amount of orders for modified plasma weapons, as well as the names of several soldiers and a corvette-class ship. Scrolling onwards, she also came across the image of a nasty looking Sangheili, which made her raise an eyebrow.

"That's Avu Med 'Telcam, leader of a splinter faction known as the Servants of the Abiding Truth. You are to take a small team, meet him on Sanghelios, and negotiate a trade of the weapons you will be given", her superior explained. Almost instantly her smirk dropped, her wrinkles more defined as she stared at Osman with a serious gaze. "You're a Captain now Osman, I expect you to complete this mission in secret. No one except me and your crew may know of this, and anyone who does find out must be eliminated with extreme prejudice, regardless of who they are. Am I understood?"

Osman threw a quick, albeit nervous salute, not quite used to this level of expectation. "Yes ma'am, you can count on me. One thing though, why supply the Sangheili with weapons? Wouldn't that just make them more powerful?" she asked, quickly pocketing the datapad before she forgot. She had no doubt all the finer details of her mission were on the, and the last thing she wanted to do was just forget it.

"There's no need to worry about that. Avu Med 'Telcam may hate humans, but he hates the Arbiter more. He would be so focused on getting rid of Thel 'Vadam he'll have no time for Earth, giving us time rebuild, and potentially strike back in the future", Parangosky reassured her, sitting back in her seat once more. The smirk returned to her features once more, this time more wicked in nature. "The Sangheili will destroy themselves, and the other Covenant species are on the retreat. Humanity will never be threatened again."

As if suddenly releasing Osman was still in the room, Parangosky sighed, motioning for the former Spartan to leave with her hand. "You're dismissed. The UNSC Port Stanley will be waiting for you at the nearest spaceport, as will your crew and the weapons you need", she ordered, turning her back to Osman, expecting her to leave without any more prompting. "I want you to leave for Sanghelios as soon as possible, while the UNSC are still clearing up the Brutes. Unless of course you want to have the _Infinity_ on your tail."

Osman quickly stood to attention, saluting her superior, though action proved to be rather futile given Parangosky couldn't see her. "Of course ma'am, I won't let you down", she said, before promptly leaving the office, closing the door quietly behind her.

Parangosky smirked once more, sliding opening a drawer next to her. She pulled out a single brown folder from it, reading the cover carefully.

_Authorised eyes only_

_Project Sovereignty_

_'Never again will humanity be threatened, never again will we be the ones on the defensive. Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new age for mankind, and nothing can stop us.'_


	2. Chapter 1: Feet First Into Hell

**So here is the first proper chapter, and I feel now is a better time than any to explain a little more about this story in more depth. It will take place between the events of Halo 3 and 4, and while it will follow the lore to start with, it will start to pull away from the lore as the story goes on.**

**It doesn't say it in the description due to the space, but this is a Human x Sangheili fic, and while be having a sex scene at some point. I know not everyone is a fan of this, so I will place a warning up on the relevant chapter, which can be skipped without losing any information about the story.**

**That's all for now then, do enjoy the new chapter, but expect updates to be on a more weekly basis from here onwards.**

**Chapter 1**

**Côte d'Azur, Sigma Octanus IV**

**April 14th 2553**

The morning sun hung low over the inner colony world of Sigma Octanus IV, casting long shadows across the ruined city of Côte d'Azur- the main population center for the planet. Sigma Octanus IV had been successfully defended when the Covenant attacked less than a year ago, but the colony had still suffered because of it.

But now- just like then- screams echoed through the city, as those colonists hardy enough to stay were hunted and corralled into the city park by a small force of Brutes. They had retreated from Earth after the ending of the war, but could only make it this far before their damaged RPV-class destroyer exited slipspace and crashed into the inner colony world. There were around about a fifty or so Brutes left from the wrecked Covenant destroyer, the rest having perished on impact along with all their vehicles and starfighters.

"I haven't had fresh meat in weeks, when do we get to dig into this lot?" one Brute Minor asked, throwing a young women into the trapped group of colonists. She quickly picked herself up, staring angrily up at the Brute, but remained cowering back with everyone else.

Another Brute Minor snorted, pointing his spiker at the trapped colonists. They cowered even more, the adults protecting their children with their arms. "Eat them? I thought they were just target practise. Besides, I hear human tastes horrible anyway. Like burnt Unggoy", he joked, tapping the trigger with an idle finger, enjoying the fearful faces on the defenseless humans in front of him. How such a weak species had defeated the Covenant he did not know.

Before either of them could continue, a larger Brute Captain pushed them apart, staring at the humans in disgust. "We don't kill them yet, not until we have the means to get off this world. Otherwise Vrentanum will skin us alive", he warned them, shivering at the memories. Vrentanum was one War Chieftain he did not want to anger, not after what had happened to the rogue crew of the _Glorious Indignation_. It was the most prolific lose of life for the Covenant since the fall of Reach, and had left many of the Covenant species aghast at such brutality.

"So what do we now sir? It won't be too long before the UNSC arrive, and if we're not gone by then Vrentanum will be the least of our worries", the first Brute Minor pointed out, resting his mauler against his shoulder. The Brute Captain smirked, before slowly pacing forward, sending the cowering colonists crawling back even further. Their eyes were instantly drawn to the energy sword that rested on his hips, stolen from an Elite he had killed during the Great Schism.

"Humans, our ship is damaged beyond repair, and therefore we require one to leave this world. Provide us with the means to leave, and your lives will be spared", he told the trapped colonists. Before they could even think about replying though the Brute Captain activated his energy sword, pointing it at the nearest colonist. The colonist shook wildly in fear, her eyes tightly shut as she felt the energy sword's heat grazing against her cheek. "If you lie or decide to withhold the information from us, we will kill you one by one until you cave in. Your children will be first, then your elderly, and we will kill them all right in front of you until you give us what you want. Do you understand?"

The colonists all nodded, too scared to speak up in case the Brutes decided to focus on them. The Brute Captain smirked, enjoying the current power he was having. "Good. Why don't you take some time to remember where your ships are, then we'll get back to you", he told them in a joking tone, though only the Brutes seemed to get it. Their alien chuckles sent a shiver down the spines of all the colonists, the hopelessness of their situation finally starting to sink in.

The second Brute Minor rubbed his hands together, grinning wickedly as he looked up at his Captain. "Excellent strategy sir, it won't be long before these weak minded humans give into to the primal desire to survive. It won't be long before we're off this w-"

Before the Minor could finish what he was saying a loud crack echoed through the air, before his head literally blew up, splattering the nearby Brute's in purple blood as the now headless body slumped to the ground. The Brute Captain jumped back, his heart racing as he scoured the ruined city for any hints as to where the shot had come from. "Sniper! Spread out! Find the coward and kill him!"

"Coward? Now that's not very nice. I can assure you Aleski is no coward, just a very good sniper. And you certainly shouldn't insult a good sniper when you can't see him", a confident, almost cocky voice corrected them, drawing the attention of the Brute's to the ground floor of a wrecked skyscraper. They were met by the sight of a lone ODST, sitting nonchalantly on the broken window sill of the room, his M45D tactical shotgun resting on his shoulder. He gave the Brutes a mocking salute. "Sup guys? Name's Shawn Marsh."

The Brute Captain chuckled, switching out his energy sword in favour of a brute shot, slowly pacing towards the ODST. There was still around fifty feet between the Brutes and the ODST, meaning neither were in any rush- though the Brutes remained on edge as they watched the abandoned the building for any signs of the human sniper from just a minute ago. So far- much to their annoyance- there was nothing.

"What would your Sangheili allies think if they knew you were cowering in the shadows? They'd be disgusted that they had sided with such weak, cowardly creatures", the Brute Captain taunted, gaining a few chuckles from his comrades.

Shawn titled his head, thinking something over for a second or two. "Maybe. Or maybe they'd just come over here so they can kick your asses themselves", he eventually said, standing up and stretching in a manner just as nonchalant as he had been before. He brought the shotgun down into his other hand, cocking back the pump as he started to approach the Brutes. "Sadly they're not here, which means you'll have to deal with us."

"Us? There's only two of you, and almost fifty of us! What do you really think you can do?" the Brute Captain asked, leveling his brute shot in readiness to shot the ODST.

"Who said anything about there only being two of us?" Shawn asked in response, as the crack of a sniper rifle shot rang out across the courtyard again, this time hitting a Brute Major right in between the eyes.

Before the dead Major could even hit the ground a door opened to the left of the Brutes, and two ODST's came racing out of the derelict building, firing rounds into the flanked foes. The squads leader- Captain Archer Lovitz- held a MA5D, using it drop the shields of one Brute Minor. His second in command and squad medic- Sergeant Dale Chambers- came rushing up behind him, killing the unshielded minor with quick spray of his M7S.

"You messed with the wrong people Brute, and now you have to face the consequences. One ass whooping from six badass ODST's", Shawn told him, before charging forward himself, bringing down another Minor with two quick shots from his shotgun.

Before the Brute Captain could even think about speaking, the final three ODST's appeared on the right, charging forward much like the rest of their squad. The sniper- Aleski Nasenko- took the lead, eventually dropping onto one knee and firing another round into the Brutes, killing two Minors with one shot. He looked at his new SRS99-S5 AM- nodding in satisfaction- before firing another round into a charging Major, sending it flying back several feet, slamming into the ground at a bone-breaking speed.

On Aleski's left came the only female in the squad- Lindsay Griffins- who charged at an exposed Brute Minor with lighting agility, dropping its shields as she sprayed rounds from both her M7's into it. Once she'd emptied the clips she quickly holstered her weapons, before drawing two combat knifes, ducking under the Brute's grasping hand as she did so. She slid past the Minor, before jumping up onto its back, stabbing it in both sides of the neck with her knifes. The Brute gurgled in protest, before collapsing in a heap on the ground, allowing Lindsay to reload her weapons and continue the assault.

And finally there was William Martinez, who skirted around from Aleski's right, joining up with Shawn as fired into the Brute pack with his BR85HB SR battle rifle. He was able to quickly and efficiently drop the shields of several Brutes, allowing Shawn to finish them off with a simple shot from his shotgun

"Don't you ever listen during briefing Shawn? Our plan was to let Aleski wittle the Brutes down with sniper fire, not for you to go all one-man-army on them. Now there's six of us versus a good forty of them", Will shouted over the gunfire, clearly annoyed at his friends as he sidestepped to avoid several needler rounds, before killing the guilty Brute with several bullets of his own.

Shawn smacked another Minor in the head with his shotgun, finishing it off with his last round. He turned to Will as he reloaded, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not my fault man, the plan didn't take into account the effect a sexy woman getting hurt would have on me", he excused himself, cocking back the pump once he had fully reloaded.

Will nodded in sarcastic fashion, holstering his now empty battle rifle across his back, before drawing his energy katana. This surprised the Brute he was fighting with- who was not used to seeing such unorthodox weaponry- allowing the ODST to rush forward and slice its neck in half. The Brute still held an expression of shock as it fell to the ground. "Be that as it may, the Captain's still going to kick your ass once all this is over and done with", Will warned, though this only seemed to gain an amused laugh from his friend.

"Please, I'm Shawn Marsh, the MVP of this squad. If anything Captain Lovitz should be praising me for my skills, and thankful that I turned down the offer to join the Spartan IV program", Shawn boasted, emphasising his point by sliding under the energy sword of a Major, before kicking it in the crotch. As it stumbled back Shawn sat back up, firing two rounds into the staggering Brute's chest, killing it with ease.

"Uh, that's complete bullshit!" Lindsay shouted, joining up with Will and Shawn as she sprayed another two clips into the Brute ranks, bringing down those unfortunate enough to be unshielded at the time. She dropped to one knee as she reloaded, nodding at Shawn as she did so. "I believe it was Commander Palmer herself who denied _your_ application to the program. Can't for the life of me imagine why."

Will chuckled at Lindsay's sarcastic comment, knowing it would only infuriate the ever boastful Shawn. He opted against commenting though, instead cutting down another Brute with his energy sword, bridging the gap between themselves, Archer and Drew. Aleski promptly joined on the other side of the squad, all of them now focusing their efforts on the front of the Brute pack- who seemed to be rather off on their aim today.

"We'll discuss Shawn's lack of tactical awareness later. Squad, split up into pairs, stay mobile, and take these bastards down", Captain Lovitz ordered, throwing a frag grenade after letting it cook for a couple seconds. The grenade landed right in the middle of the pack, detonating moments later and killing five of them, while dropping the shields of any other Brutes too close to the explosion. "Drew you're with me; we'll flank them from the left. Aleski and Lindsay; you two take the right. Try to draw the pack apart. Shawn; since you're so eager to prove yourself, you and Will can go straight down the middle. Keep that Captain preoccupied until we can deal with his support. Everyone understand?"

"Yes sir!" the squad shouted in unison, before taking off to carry out their orders, leaving Will and Shawn to hold down the centre. Will let out a long sigh, shaking his head as he looked over at Shawn.

"Sometimes I don't know why I put up with", he muttered, slowly turning his attention back to the nearest Brute, who raised its spiker in an attempt to kill him. Will easily dodged the shots though, ducking to the right and launching an attack from the side, dropping the Brute's shields with a swing of his energy katana. He then thrust the blade into its shoulder, sending a quick spurt of blood squirting out of the fresh wound, before the plasma from the blade quickly cauterised it.

Again the Brute tried to kill Will with its spiker, this time aiming to impale him with it blades, but once more the ODST was quickest. He sidestepped the attack with ease, before stabbing the Brute in the gut, the plasma blade cutting through armour and flesh with ease. This time the Brute had no time to scream, and instead groaned in pain, sliding off the blade and falling to the ground a second later.

Will found himself too distracted with killing just the one Brute, and failed to see the Major on his left until it was too late. He turned to try and hit it with his energy katana, but the Brute ducked under it with ease, before tackling the ODST to the ground. His energy katana now pinned under the Brute, Will tried to draw his M6S pistol, but his foe quickly pinned that as well, before drawing its combat knife. The ODST gave it a defiant punch to the face, but this seemed to hurt him more than it did the Brute, who laughed at the soft blow.

Before it could even finish its laugh though Shawn fired his shotgun right into the back of it, bringing its shields down. The Major promptly pushed itself of Will, turning to try and stab Shawn, but was only met by the barrel of his shotgun. "Sayonara bitch!" he shouted, blowing the Brutes head to pieces as he fired at point blank range.

The ODST kicked the dead Brute to one side, before helping Will up, a cocky grin hidden under his helmet. "That's why you put up with me", he reminded Will, who could only shake his head. Shawn patted him on the back, turning to face the other Brutes, who seemed to be making way for the Brute Captain. "Come on, ugly here wants a fight."

"Leave this cocky whelp and his friend to me, I shall enjoy tearing them apart!" the Brute Captain ordered, firing a round from his brute shot straight at the ODST's. With no small amount of skill though Shawn pushed Will out of the way with his foot, leaning back himself to dodge the high explosive grenade as it passed over him, before exploding several feet away. The Brute growled, gritting its teeth in anger. "Stay still so I can kill you weakling!"

"Now where's the fun in that?" Shawn asked, cocking back the pump once more. This only seemed to further infuriate the Brute Captain, who fired another three grenades at Shawn. Once more the ODST dodged them- this time diving to the left- allowing the grenades to smash right into the Brutes behind him, killing most of them in a fiery explosion. "Woops! Seems you've still got friendly fire on, better be careful next time."

The Brute Captain roared, ready to fire yet more grenade at the annoying ODST, but stopped when noticed Will fast approaching his other side. The ODST had already cut his way through another to Minors, and now aimed to catch the Captain while he was distracted. His plan didn't go according to plan though, as his target swiveling around on his feet, blocking Will's katana with the brute shot's underside blade. He then delivered a sharp kick to the ODST's abdomen, knocking him to the ground.

Will only had seconds to regather his sense before the Brute Captain launched a counterattack, bringing down his brute shot in an attempt to impale his foe. Quickly rolling to the left to avoid this attack, Will pulled out his M6S, firing several rounds into the Brute's face. This did very little to the Brute's shields, and appeared aggravate him more than hurt him. His lunged forward again, missing him mark by mere inches as the brute shot blade sliced into the ground next to Will's face.

Before the Brute could even think about another attack Shawn came charging up from behind, finally bringing down his shields as he fired two rounds into the Captain's back. Unfazed by this, the Brute Captain quickly spun around on his heels, smacking Shawn across the face with his leading hand. He then lunged forward, grabbing the ODST's shotgun while at the same time delivering a powerful knee into his abdomen, taking the wind out of his lungs. This time Shawn found himself on the floor as the Brute grabbed him by the head, smacking him into the ground, before drawing his energy sword.

"For once I think I'll do humanity a favour, and end your miserable life. Your incessant boasting rivals that of the Sangheili, and deserves to be silenced once and for all", he whispered, before drawing back his sword, ready to end Shawn's life. Before he could though he felt a searing pain in his side, forcing him to stumble back and drop his sword.

He found Will standing right next to him, his energy katana imbedded deep within the Brute's side. "He may boast a lot, but he's my friend, and I'll be damned if I let you kill him", the ODST said angrily, before spinning around, beheading the Brute Captain with one clean stroke of his blade. A few streaks of purple blood came out of the otherwise cauterised neck, as both head and body crashed down to the ground, allowing Shawn to pick himself back up.

He looked around, realising the rest of the squad seemed to have pretty much cleared up the Brute pack- those still alive either retreating or seriously considering it- before nodding to himself. "Okay, I think that's enough badassery for one day. It's given me quite the headache", he admitted, rubbing his helmet for emphasis.

Will couldn't help but chuckle, sheathing energy katana as the squad regrouped, taking a breather or two after their long fought battle. "I don't think it's the badassery that's given you a headache", he added amusingly, though his smile quickly dropped as he glanced at the dead Brute Captain. "Seriously though, be careful next time. You could've easily been killed if I wasn't there."

"Don't worry, I will", Shawn reassured him, though anything else he wanted to say was quickly drowned out by the cheers of the colonists, who had finally realised they were safe now. The ODST squad seemed to be taken aback by this- not used to receiving such praise- but once more Shawn stepped into save them. "Don't worry guys, I'm a people person. I'll handle this, you guys call for evac and whatever else", he told them, before turning back to the crowd of thankful colonists, extending his arms. "Now then, who wants an autograph? No pushing now, everyone gets one. And as a special offer the ladies get my phone number free of charge."

"He was inches away from death just a minute ago, you'd think he might act a little differently than usually", Aleksi commented, shaking his head as he rested his weary body on the floor, his sniper rifle leaned up against him.

"He's not going to be so happy when Captain Lovitz is done with him, he could've gotten us all killed back there", Drew pointed out, obviously annoyed at Shawn's antics. The older ODST folded his arms, glancing over at Will with a grumpy expression, though he couldn't see it under the still polarised visor. "Try to keep your friend under control next time, I'd rather not die because he had a little too much sugar for breakfast."

Will growled, taking a step forward and clenching his fists, only to be stopped by Lindsay. "Don't be such an asshole! He's not a child or a dog, he just does things differently. I'm sure you weren't any better ten years ago", she reminded Drew, though this only gained an amused snort out of him.

"Ten years ago I still knew who to respect and what orders to follow", he corrected Lindsay, much to her great annoyance.

"Well what a boring life you must've lived", she mumbled under her voice, before turning back to Will. Even without seeing his face she could tell he was still annoyed, and so gently patted his shoulder. "Ignore him, you know what that old dinosaur can be like sometimes. He's just forgetting all the times Shawn's ego has actually saved us."

Will nodded in admission, sighing as he removed his helmet, allowing the light breeze to cool him down. "Yeah, I guess he is", he agreed, allowing Lindsay to comb a hand through his short, black hair as she tried to fix the damage done by his helmet- though not without pouting out of annoyance.

Lindsay couldn't help but giggle. "That's a cute face, you should use it more often", she suggested, finishing up with his hair. She was thankful that her helmet was still on, as a small blush graced her cheeks, the possible repercussions of calling Will cute coming to mind. "S-so… what are you planning to do when the _Swiftsure_ redocks with _Infinity_? The other ODST squads will still be away on missions, so we'll have the whole area to ourselves for a couple days."

Will raised an eyebrow, unsure why she'd so suddenly brought it up- or why she seemed to be so nervous for that matter. "Not a whole lot really. I'm sure Commander Lasky will make sure we're not just slacking off the whole time, but honestly I haven't any plans for how I'd spend my free time. Why do you ask?"

Lindsey seemed to squirm under Will's gaze, not sure how to reply for several long seconds. "Oh… well no reason really. I was just wondering- you know if you had a couple hours free one day- that maybe you could-"

"Alright squad, evac's on the way. Let's get these colonists ready to go, and then we can get them all on the _Swiftsure_ safely", Archer ordered, interrupting Lindsay before she could finish what she was saying. The female ODST clenched her fists, looking down at the ground in a dejected fashion.

This time it was Will who gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. You can tell me later", he told her, before putting his helmet back on, joining back up with the others.

Lindsay let out a long sigh, the familiar sounds of Shawn bragging about how many numbers he got echoing across the courtyard as she looked up at the sky, the silhouette of their Strident-class ship- the UNSC _Swiftsure_- coming into view. _'If only it was that easy'_, she thought, before promptly joining the other, thankful they hadn't noticed her short absence.

* * *

**Vadam keep, Sanghelios**

**April 14th 2553**

Return to Sanghelios had not been as peaceful as Thel 'Vadam had hoped for. Sure, compared to his last few months as the Arbiter- leading the Covenant Separatists and ultimately ending the Flood threat alongside the Spartan John-117- it was nowhere near as dangerous, but in some ways it was twice as stressful. And it wasn't too much of a surprise when he looked at how much he needed to do.

The war had cost him a great many of his people- not as many as their Human allies- but enough for it to be a touchy subject, especially after the Jiralhanae and San 'Shyuum betrayal. Almost half their ships had been lost in Great Schism alone, along with majority of their Councilors, Ultras and Guardmens, leaving the Sangheili rather thin at the top of the political chain.

Certainly they'd have adapt to life without the guidance of the Prophets, along with the lie that was the Great Journey- which had been an integral part of their beliefs for centuries now. Indeed, many Sangheili still rejected Arbiter's word, adamant that the Great Journey was no lie- though this was an increasingly small group now, many having come to terms with the truth.

Problems did not just lie at home though. With much of the Sangheili fleet still scattered across the galaxy their colonies remained vulnerable to isolation, or worse, Jiralhanae raids. The Sangheili were still better fighters and tacticians compared to their ape foe, but even Thel 'Vadam knew that a fair few more of his people would perish before this was all over.

And then there was the worrying question of the Human-Sangheili alliance. It was no surprise that many Sangheili were thankful that the humans were so quick to forgive and forget in their time and need, but now the war was over opinion was divided on what to do next. Most just wanted an end to the bloodshed, and thus believed that a permanent allegiance with the Humans would protect Sanghelios in the long run. Others- those more fanatical in their devotion to the Covenant- still believed humanity was a blight on the galaxy, and wanted nothing more than to seem them removed from existence.

Thel sighed, looking down at the marble floor as he walked along the government building of his keep. The dark red armour of his Honour Guardsmen- a similar design to those who had protected the Prophets- glistened in the corner of his eyes as four of them flanking him, two on each side. He most certainly had his work cut out for him.

His attention was drawn back to the hallway, as lone Sangheili awaited him a few feet away, adorned in the golden armour of a Field Master- though he no longer referred to himself with such a title. Instead he was bishop Avu Med 'Telcam, a leading figure among a small- but fast growing- religious group known as the Servants of the Abiding Truth. That name already sent alarm bells ringing through Thel's mind, though he opted to keep it to himself for the time being. Right now he could not afford to be picky when it came allies.

Avu bowed his head slightly. "Arbiter, it is an honour to see you again. When I heard news about the Covenant betrayal I feared the worst. It is… pleasing to see that you are still alive", the Bishop noted, though his tone remained both cold and monotone in nature. He moved alongside the Arbiter as he continued to walk, twitching his lower mandibles in thought as he glanced over at the slightly smaller Sangheili. "I trust now that this war is over we can give up the… necessary evil that is our alliance with the Humans, and instead reassert ourselves as the dominant force in the galaxy. It is our birthright, would you not agree?"

Thel raised a brow, surprised at how eager the Bishop seemed to be to get to the point. "I would agree that it is our birthright to live in this galaxy, and to attempt coexistence amongst its inhabitants. Not start another war only months after the last one. Need I remind you that we are as weak as we have ever been?"

"You don't, but the Humans and Jiralhanae are in the exact same position as we are. I know I am no longer of military ranking, but this is the perfect opportunity to strike. To deal the killer blow to our enemies before they can ever rear the pathetic heads in defiance again", Avu spoke passionately, but was cut from any further by a low growl from the Arbiter.

"It's clear you hatred of the Humans is getting in the way of your judgement, Bishop. They made an alliance with us despite our blood-soaked history, and that deserves a great deal of respect. And you may not believe this, but their efforts saved all of us", he reminded Avu, who could only shake his head in disagreement. Thel ignored this though, deciding to continue making his point. "And whether you like it or not, I believe this alliance is essential not only to our survival, but our advancement as a species. I will not only maintain this alliance, but strengthen it, for the greater good of both our peoples."

"Arbiter, this is heresy! The Humans are unclean, the ancients themselves-"

"My word if final Avu. If you have a problem with it, perhaps you should go talk to your local Councilor. I'm sure they can bring it up next time we convene", Thel interrupted, no small amount of smugness in his voice, only furthering angering the Bishop. For a split second he considered trying to stop Thel, but he knew that wasn't really an option. He could never take the Arbiter in a one-on-one fight, let alone while his guards were about.

Thel span around on his heel, before bowing slightly to Avu. "If you'll excuse me now Bishop, I have more important things to take care of", the Arbiter reminded him, before turning around once more, walking off down the long hallways. It wasn't a confrontation he had particularly enjoyed- certainly his political abilities still needed working on- but he needed to get the message across. That he was not going to just roll over and give in to frantically pressure.

Avu nodded to himself, silently seething with rage as another Sangheili appeared from the shadows, this one clad in a unique style of blue Zealot armour. "Does this change our plans my lord?" he asked, watching the Arbiter until he was no longer in view.

"No, it does not", Avu Med 'Telcam replied, a large smirk growing upon his face. "Enjoy this moment Jul 'Mdama, for you are witnessing history. The last Arbiter of Sanghelios, and the dawn of a new age for our species."


End file.
